Engineering Functions/Career PathEGR483/ME481

10/25/13

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Shift from University to CareerShift from University to Career

Engineering Foundation• Coursework has provided technical foundation

• Important to consider experience foundation– Look for experience that matches your interest for confirmation

– Explore options

– Build skills

– Understand your strengths and how to use them

– Establish a track record of accomplishment

• Technical vs less techical– Consider your interests

– If two equivalent offers, consider more technical position• Ability to apply engineering coursework and theory to on the job

challenges

• Easier to move to less technical position in future than the reverse

– Beginning in research, development, design and then moving to sales or management technically easy

– Moving from sales to research unlikely

Career Path Progression

Closer to pure theoretical science Futuristic—viewpoint may be 1-10 years out Entrepreneurial—may be creating new technology or market that doesn’t exist

today Innovative—may be developing improvements on existing items Where do researchers work: Universities, Industry, Government What does the work consist of:

• Conceptualizing

• Analysis

• Lab Experimentation

Qualifications/skills/strengths:• Advanced degrees

• Creative imagination, curiosity, technical energy

• Patience and tenacity to pursue long-range goals

Research

Function following research Working with a concept to scale up to a marketable reality—targeted customer

now in mind Where do developers work: Industry, Government What does the work consist of:

• Analysis

• Lab Testing

Qualifications/skills/strengths:• Advanced degrees likely

• Ability to uncover potential customer requirements: use, cost, and quality

• Highly technical skills with a practical bent

• Strong communication to provide the interface between the researcher and the designer

• Understand the time constraint for moving an idea forward to meet market needs

Development

Produce a design of a product, process, or facility that can be manufactured or built using the developed technology and intended customer application

Where do designers work: Industry, Government, Consulting What does the work consist of:

• Multi-discipline team function– Project Manager

– Individual disciplines relevant to the need

• Calculations, Specifications, Drawings, Models

• May oversee designers/drafters producing documents

Qualifications/skills/strengths:• Typically BS degrees with some specific areas requesting advanced degrees

• Ability to apply engineering coursework to produce a design that meets customer requirements

• Knowledge of CAD to produce or understand design drawings

• Strong communication to be effective team member and to interface with non-engineering team members—manufacturing, construction, procurement

Design

Supervise other workers to manufacture or build the as-designed product, process, or facility

Where do manufacturing engineers/construction managers work: Industry, Government, Construction

What does the work consist of:• Oversight of a diverse workforce

• Planning, organizing, leading, controlling

• Responsible for schedule, budget, quality

Qualifications/skills/strengths:• Typically BS degrees with some specific areas requesting advanced engineering

degrees or MBAs

• Leadership capability

• Technically competent but with emphasis on hands-on practical problem solving

• Strong communication to be effective team leader and to interface with non-engineering team members—management, sales, procurement

Manufacturing/Construction

Key opportunities in sales are breadth of exposure to company’s product line and the range of potential customers and their technology needs

Can make a very positive, measurable impact on the bottom line of company profits

Where do sales engineers work: Industry, Consulting, Manufacturers’ Representatives Firms

What does the work consist of:• Customer identification

• Presentations to potential customers

• Identifying the interface between a potential customer’s technology, their technical/business improvement needs, and what your company can provide

Qualifications/skills/strengths:• Typically BS degrees or MBAs

• Thorough knowledge of products and related technology applications

• Ability to quickly understand a customer’s technical need with your product connection

• Organized, self-motivated, natural competitors

Technical Sales

Supervise other workers to maintain facility equipment Participate in the design and construction process for new

facilities/improvements Where do facility engineers work: Industry, Government, Commercial Facilities What does the work consist of:

• Delivering expected equipment uptime with appropriate preventative maintenance

• Being the client representative to the designer/constructor

Qualifications/skills/strengths:• Typically BS degrees with some specific areas requesting advanced engineering

degrees or MBAs

• Leadership capability

• Technically competent but with emphasis on hands-on practical problem solving

• Strong communication to be effective team leader and to interface with non-engineering team members—management, manufacturing

Facility Maintenance/Capital Projects

Forensics• Specialists in determining how or why something occurred in a particular way

• Typically consulted after an accident or natural disaster

Conservation• Buildings, objects (art)

• Maintaining in desired condition

Evaluation• Code requirement confirmation

• Insurance consideration

Law• Patent attorneys

???

Other Options

Large Companies• Benefits: Lots of options, Training programs, Stability

Small Companies• Benefits: Breadth of Exposure, Growth

Government• Federal: Dept of Energy, EPA, Dept of Homeland Security, NASA, Army Corps of

Engineers, Naval Civil Engineering Corps– Offer many of the same benefits as large companies

• State and Local: Dept of Transportation, Public Works– May be similar to benefits of small companies

• Policy– How might public policy influence be influenced by technical analysis

Where to Work

Education• University

– Typical combination of teaching, research, and publishing

• Middle or High School– STEM options

Consulting• Hired by organizations to provide specialized expertise that they do not have on their

regular payroll

• Benefits: Breadth, variation, starting positions with BS degrees, management opportunities

NGOs• Engineers Without Borders, Water for People

Organizations looking for analytical skills• Financial services—statistical analysis, problem solving

Where to Work

Your self-assessment• Strengths

• Interests

• Other experience

Do research on areas of engineering practice• Qualifications

• Type of placements

Evaluate types of employers• Where do you want to work?

What’s Next